No choice but a greener Apple

The environment matters, and I'm beginning to hear deeply disturbing warnings recently emanating from an ongoing House of Commons Committee.
Chief among these rumours are claims that I…

By
Jonny Evans
| 30 Nov 07

The environment matters, and I'm beginning to hear deeply disturbing warnings recently emanating from an ongoing House of Commons Committee.

Chief among these rumours are claims that I understand suggest a recent scientific breakthrough means boffins have now developed significantly better understanding as to how all the constituent elements of the Earth's climate systems work together, and this understanding indicates things may be much worse than we thought.

Now, I've only received anecdotal information at this point - albeit from a highly-placed source. That source told me that after a recent House of Commons meeting the entire group of people gathered there were utterly shaken at news they heard.

Among other tidbits, it appears a recent Royal Navy survey suggests the Arctic ice shelf has shrunk to half the thickness of just ten years ago. It also appears that some of the most important submerged warm temperature currents are entirely dependent on the existence of ice shelves at the North and South Poles.

That news follows research which seems to suggest these warm but submerged currents depend on a newly discovered environmental feature, called 'chimneys'. These - five of which are known to exist - are areas under the ice shelf in which warm water is forced under the cold, forming these warm currents.

There's more - including startling claims that the Amazon rainforest is damaged beyond redemption, and that its historical cycle of seven water cycles per year has now shrunk to one.

All these warnings are anecdotal. I am not in possession of proof, but there's plenty of existing evidence that suggests the seriousness of the scenario.

These dire threats have forced governments to act, and have forced businesses to change their practices.

Now let's get to Apple: Two key directives are moving to implementation. One demands that from a date (to be determined), no consumer electronic products will be permitted to ship in Europe if its batteries aren't user-replacable. So Apple will have to change its iPod.

A second demand will very likely impact all manufacturers in this industry, as it seems EU plans will require that all consumer electronics products shipped in future must have a life-cycle of five or more years. That's far above the life-cycle currently promised within many technology products.

Apple's being accused of not doing enough to address these concerns. While Apple CEO Steve Jobs has gone on record to discuss his company's green plans, critics remain who ask why the company isn't seizing a leadership position.

A source from within the consumer electronics industry told me: "We need Apple to be involved. It's the kind of company who could find the innovation we need to address these challenges, and may also be able to explain to consumers that climate change isn't just fashion or fud, but a critical threat that will shape our - and any future - lives."

Finishing up, I'd really like to stress that I have only anecdotal evidence for some of these claims at this point, but I am completely convinced at the credentials of my source, though his (and my) understanding may at times be flawed. I'm now completely convinced that urgent action is required on a grand scale, as failing to act is a luxury we can't afford.